Just hearing that a radiation treatment for cancer has the word “knife” in it can be intimidating or frightening. But rest assured – despite having the word knife in its name, with CyberKnife treatment there is absolutely no cutting, no knives and no pain. The treatment is completely noninvasive.
In fact, CyberKnife is a form of stereotactic body radiation therapy or SBRT. It uses image-guided robotic technology to deliver targeted radiation directly to the cancer or tumor without harming healthy tissue.
“It is the precision of the system, delivered by its robotic arm, and real-time adaptive delivery of the radiation beam to the tumor throughout treatment, that makes such a difference for patients,’ according to Accuray, the maker of CyberKnife. “CyberKnife accuracy is sub-millimetric, which can help significantly reduce the risk of the side effects that too often disrupt the lives of patients during and after treatment.”
“CyberKnife is the most refined way to target a tumor and minimize the dose to normal tissue,” according to Dr. Mark Pomper, board-certified radiation oncologist and medical director of the CyberKnife Center of Miami, the premiere radiation center for cancer treatment in South Florida.
Accuray aims to demystify how the technology works on its website (www.accuray.com).
The company shows each component of the CyberKnife system to help patients understand how the treatment works, including how the fully robotic radiation system combined with real-time imaging accurately treats tumors – including those of the brain, pancreas, prostate, liver, lung and spine.
CyberKnife: Easy on Patients, Tough on Cancer
For patients, treatment is not difficult. Your only job is to relax on the CyberKnife couch and let CyberKnife do its job.
The CyberKnife system takes real-time images of the tumor to accurately track them with your every breath. Then the robotic arm delivers pinpointed radiation directly to the tumor. If you move, the robotic arm makes real-time adjustments to move with the tumor, which prevents damage to healthy surrounding tissue and vital organs.
Since CyberKnife is so precise, it can deliver higher doses of radiation in fewer treatments than conventional radiation. With CyberKnife, most patients need one to five treatments as opposed to 25 to 40 with conventional radiation.
It is possible that patients will experience some minimal side effects like tiredness, nausea or headaches. Those typically go away within a week or two after treatment. Uncommon side effects like skin reddening or vomiting can also occur, according to CyberKnife Miami.
It’s also important to know that where you get treated with CyberKnife matters, and can make a big difference in your outcome.
The CyberKnife Miami Advantage
The team at CyberKnife Miami has helped thousands of patients, even patients who were told they couldn’t have more radiation, or their tumors were inoperable.
“Patients who have been told that “there is nothing else that can be done” or that “surgery is too dangerous” may be perfect candidates for CyberKnife cancer treatment, according to Dr. Pomper at CyberKnife Miami.
And we are here for you too.
“I feel it is my mission to try to help patients understand that cancer is not a death sentence. We have many weapons to help battle this disease and CyberKnife is one of the most powerful,” Dr. Pomper says.
Dr. Pomper is one of the most experienced CyberKnife physicians in the country.
“A lot of medical or cancer centers that have CyberKnife technology don’t have as much experience as we have using it. So, they get scared when they see a big tumor and think it is not worth treating or are worried about complications. Other doctors feel if it’s incurable why be aggressive?” explains Dr. Pomper. He adds, “We feel differently. Our opinion is, why not try? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain, including the most precious gift of all. More time, which we most often can accomplish.”
He adds, “What sets CyberKnife Miami apart from all other CyberKnife centers in South Florida, nationwide and even worldwide is our 20 plus years of experience, and because this is what we do all day, every day. As a result we know what can and cannot be treated successfully.”
Another CyberKnife Miami Advantage:
We educate our patients with the knowledge they need to make the most informed decision about their treatment options. Whether that is CyberKnife or not. We work with each patient, and their family to make sure they are getting the best treatment possible, for their particular needs.
If you would like to find out more about cancer treatment with CyberKnife, call us at 305-279-2900 or go to our website now for more information www.cyberknifemiami.com.